


One Step Closer

by I_rely_on_you



Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Protectiveness, hard day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29597718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_rely_on_you/pseuds/I_rely_on_you
Summary: Farah and Saul have to attend a council meeting at Lunas Castle. It only goes downhill from there.
Relationships: Farah Dowling/Saul Silva
Comments: 23
Kudos: 90





	One Step Closer

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this came to me thinking about our favourite ship and how protective they would be with each other in the company of Lunas troops.  
> This takes place after Saul has recovered from the attack of the Burned One.  
> It's a little AU-ish so don't come at me please :D  
> This will be cross posted on my tumblr. You can finde me on there as I-rely-on-you  
> Feel free to drop by my inbox to rage about Silrah and/or leave a promt.
> 
> But now I hope you enjoy and happy reading!

Looking back on it now she should’ve known this day wouldn’t turn out as great as she had hoped. 

It all had started when they were still in the car on their way to the queens castle. 

Gripping the wheel tightly Saul growled “Why do we have to do this again?” throwing her a sidelong glance while shifting gears to get up the steep hill they were currently on. 

Rolling her eyes and looking out the window Farah sighed. “Because queen Luna has requested our presence at this council meeting seeing as it is a topic that also concerns our schools safety.” Looking back over at him her face softened. “But you knew that already Saul.” At that the specialist to her right flexed his cheek in annoyance at his own smile betraying him. 

She tilted her head toward him a little to get a better look at his face then. “What has you in such a sour mood Saul? Despite the fact that we have to share the next gods know how many hours with Luna and her insufferable attitude of course.” Turning a little more in her seat to face him more fully she settled in, to wait for his reply. 

Blowing out a sigh of annoyance Saul started “I don’t like the power she has over us Farah. I don’t like that she can just commandeer us every which way she likes.” She could tell by the way his aura was pulsing that he was getting riled up but decided to hold her tongue for the time being. “She has been a pain in our arses about the way you run the school for as long as I can remember. She doesn’t value our opinion Farah. She never has. She just wants to put you in your place and I’m not having it. If it were up to me we wouldn’t even be sitting in this car right now.” He ended his little triad with a shake of his head. 

Pushing the Jeep a little harder now she could feel his anger simmering. 

Laying two fingers on his hand currently holding the stick shift he relaxed instantly. Her touch seemed to loosen his shoulder muscles before she even started to use her magic on him. It had always been like that with the two of them. One being able to get the other down from a particular bout of anger with the simple touch of a hand. 

She let her magic wind itself up his arm and into his body, feeling her way across the expanse of tense muscles in his chest she ventured further and took a hold of his head with a cooling touch of her energy. 

Her soothing touch cooling him down from the inside had always felt like jumping into a lake on a hot summers day. 

Letting out a sigh he looked over at her with a twinkle of gratitude in his eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.” Grabbing the hand still touching his with her two fingers he gave her a short squeeze in thanks before letting it fall to her lap again. Gripping the shift again a little more loosely now he managed to get them up the hill and onto less muddy roads than where they came from. 

She knew he hated these kinds of visits. But being the head of the best school in Solaria had its downsides. One of them being having to hold yourself accountable for the school and it’s decisions. She understood why she had to attend this meeting and Saul knew it too. They had too much responsibility to not have to explain the way they managed the school and it’s pupils. Even though the school was a privatised institution it still fell under the jurisdiction of the queen herself. At least in part. 

Deciding to enjoy the comfortable silence in the cabin for a little more she let herself sink into her backrest and looked outside the windshield towards the towering form of the queens castle on the horizon. 

Upon entering the impressive courtyard of the castle walls Saul navigated the car towards the valet waiting outside the entrance to the many halls of the old building. 

They had been expected after all. 

Stepping outside the mind fairy breathed in deep to collect herself for a moment and waited for Saul to give the keys to the servant. Once he passed the keys to the outstretched hand of the footman he sidestepped him and stepped up to Farah. Waiting for her to take the first step he saw her pull her walls back up. Outwardly she looked as composed as ever but he knew the headmistress was tense and anticipated the worst from this meeting. 

With Luna it could only go one way and he knew that way by heart sadly. Farah and her had never gotten along not even during their days at school themselves. 

Starting to walk into the castle, both of them in unison they saw another servant coming their way directing them down the long and winding halls of the ancient building towards where the council meeting would be held. 

They could hear the heated voices and shouts of men inside before having even stepped foot inside. Upon entering the big room with the high ceiling all eyes were on them. The room was wide and pompously furnished. The council consisted of only men making Farah inwardly groan in displeasure of the blatant misogyny being displayed here. Not a single female representative meant she would have to make her voice heard even stronger. There where a good forty something people squished into the room making the big expanse of space seem very small. 

Most of the people in the room were high up in the chain of command under queen Luna herself. And each of them came with a set of guards that were sworn to protect them at every waking moment. The walls were littered with guards you couldn’t even make out the colour of the wall paper there were so many. 

Despite all eyes resting on them Farah didn’t let her inner anxiety betray her exterior and stepped further into the room. Finding a chair at the end of the big table closest to the door she let Saul pull it out for her before sitting down and waited for them to proceed. 

And proceed they did. Not even welcoming them the men started to discuss all sorts of topics regarding the kingdom and it’s inhabitants. 

It seemed like they had gotten here a little too early seeing as not even the queen was present yet. Or maybe she wouldn’t even grace them with her face today. One could only hope Farah thought to herself. 

It took about two hours for the council to get to the part of their discussion where Saul and Farah were actually needed to be present for. 

One of the white haired man sitting on an ostentatiously decorated chair angled his questioning gaze in their direction. “Concerning the current state of Alfea you have requested more of the queens brigade to protect the school and its pupils is that correct Headmistress Dowling?” His voice was laden with distaste and ignorance. Gods only knew this man had probably not once in his life seen a Burned One in action with his own eyes. 

Getting to her feet she moved towards the head of the table to make her presence known before the whole room. Nodding she levelled him with an unimpressed look. “You would be correct. I have.” 

Saul came to stand next to her, never leaving her side, also levelling his gaze toward the council member speaking to Farah. His gaze not wavering his eyes unblinking he stood at attention. 

Almost as if huffing at her answer the old man continued “And what pray tell would warrant such an expensive move on side of the queens troops? This is a school we are talking about here right?” Laughing at his own words he began looking around into the faces of the men sitting with him as if waiting for them to begin laughing too. Which they did. Of course they did. 

Not even giving him the satisfaction of a smile she started to explain. “It is indeed a school. A school sheltering the brightest minds of your queens kingdom. The same place that brought up the most decorated soldiers and most well versed fairies in all of Solaria.” 

Her words let the laughter die down quickly. The rooms atmosphere turning darker by the minute. You could hear a pin drop it had gotten so quiet. 

The smile gone from his face as if struck by her words the general, she assumed he was, looked at her with disdain. “And what would this great school need so much protection from?” 

Knowing this was the moment she needed to disclose the current problems plaguing her college she braced herself for an uproar. “We have gathered conclusive evidence that the woods surrounding Alfea have been breached by Burned Ones.” She spoke so clearly without leaving room for second guesses. 

At this a few of the council members stood up and looked at her in shock. The guards to either side of them grabbing the pummel of their swords waiting for orders. The cacophony of scratching stools on the wooden floors being the only thing to be heard between gasps of surprise. 

“Blasphemous!” One council member shouted. Red in the face with anger his moustache flailing around his lips. 

Another general got up and burst out “There haven’t been any Burned Ones in over a decade! How dare you insinuate there to be any more of those vile creatures left after her majesty’s last purge!” 

Having expected this form of reaction Farah notched her chin up pridefully. “I am not insinuating anything. I am stating a fact.” 

At this one man so wide he could barely navigate around his armour jiggling with medals and ribbons anymore, banged his fists down on the table in front of him so forcefully one of the glasses nearby toppled over from the impact. “This is outrageous!” he shouted. 

Stepping forward a little Saul spoke up for the first time since they had set foot into the building. “It is true and we have evidence to support the theory that there are multiple creatures lurking outside our schools barrier right this second.” 

Not liking the way he had spoken so freely without being prompted a guard close to him had taken a step forward with the intention to push Saul back to his original position and raised a hand to the specialist. 

Seeing this Farah’s eyes began to glimmer silver she stopped the hand coming at Saul mid shove before it could make contact with her specialists chest. Angling her head in the direction of the soldier she used her powers to make him take a step back and gave her own push that made him wobble and sink to one knee in front of them. 

Levelling him with a cold look she waited for the shock to pass on his face before addressing the guard with a tone drenched in expertly honed restraint “He is not to be touched.” She breathed it out with so much cautiously concealed rage simmering in her eyes the guard dropped his hand instantly. Angling her head a little bit further down she practically seethed in his direction “Do you understand?” Looking up at her fearfully he could only do so much as nod frantically. 

Rightening herself again she looked into the faces of dumbstruck generals and admirals alike. Raising one perfectly poised eyebrow questioningly Farah waited for them to say something. But they didn’t raise to the bait. 

It was well know who and what exactly she was. Her power and reputation preceding her. 

Another man raised from his seat. A solemn look on his face as if not even phased by what had just transpired in the room he asked “How many have you gathered are out there?” He looked at Farah and Saul individually as if directing the question at the both of them. 

He looked old and weathered but not unkind. He looked as if he had seen many things in his life and had endured a great deal of suffering. The mind fairy could feel an air of sadness about him that stemmed from great loss. What exactly he had lost she couldn’t discern but it gave her enough of an incentive to regard him with respect. He had fought and something had vanished from his life. The war had taken something from him. She could tell that much. 

Raising her head in his direction she spoke up again “We have killed two Burned Ones ourselves. But we have reason to believe there are more seeing as we have found tracks of at least four more individuals. These marks all laced with char residue.” Blowing out a breath she finished with her recount of facts. 

Nodding the old soldier looked down at his notes, scribbled something on them and looked back up at Farah again. “I will bring this to the attention of our queen. Thank you for your time. You are dismissed. Guards, please escort Headmistress Dowling and Headmaster Silva to their vehicle.” 

At the tone of his voice the fairy knew it was futile to argue. His mind was made up on the topic. Giving a curt nod she turned on her heel just as four guards came from both sides of her and her specialist to guide their way. 

One of the guards was even so blunt as to try and shepherd her by force but before his hand could touch her shoulder he was stopped by Silva’s strong grip. The specialist had seen the movement out of the corner of his eye and his reflexes had him seize the wrist of the young soldier in a crushing grip. 

Clicking his tongue once Saul shook his head, the look in his eyes positively murderous at the arrogance of the young man before him. “No touching.” His voice full of anger at the guileless of the act. His grip never faltering he pushed the offending limb away forcefully making the young soldier stumble slightly. 

Not even casting him another glance the headmistress and her specialist strutted out of the room. Nobody dared to touch either of them after that as they were weaving their way through the long winding halls. 

Once back inside their Jeep and well on their way back home Saul let out a frustrated hiss. 

He was furious. The air in the car sizzling with barely contained rage. The tension in his shoulders strong enough to snap a tree in half he gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white from the force. 

“The audacity!” He pushed the words past his teeth like it took great effort not to shout in that moment. Like it pained him to keep his cool. “Who do they think they are? Talking to you like that.” 

Taking a sharp turn Farah heard the wheels screeching once before they were off of the beaten path again. The muddy slope now a little less slippery due to the fact that the sun had warmed the earth all morning taking the moisture with it. 

She could feel his outrage at what had transpired a mere 10 minutes ago. And he was right it had been audacious the way they had been treated. In true Luna fashion without the smallest inkling or shred of respect. For them, their profession or their school. 

Before she could even attempt to placate him he barrelled on. “And the queen herself hadn’t even thought it necessary to attend! I hate that woman with a passion.” At this Farah had to chuckle taking the man to her right by surprise. 

Looking in her direction sharply he mumbled “Don’t laugh at me Farah. I am being serious here.” Before settling his watchful gaze back on the road ahead. 

Still smiling to herself she looked down at her hands in her lap. Lost in thought she could still feel the heat and the anger simmering to her right but she felt it would be best to keep quiet for now knowing his mood would shift soon. 

She knew her specialist. Better than himself probably. He would come down from his fit in a little while his anger replaced by worry. As if on cue a thoughtful look overcame him. 

“Do you think Luna will send reinforcements?” He asked in a voice laced with skepticism. 

Sighing loudly Farah answered softly “I think we have to accept the possibility that we are on our own.” Having gotten to this conclusion himself Saul only nodded. His face grim. 

Trying to sort through their own thoughts they spent the remainder of the drive back to Alfea in silence. Both the fairy and the specialist deep in thought of their own. 

When they arrived back at the school he brought the Jeep around the courtyard to where the other cars were parked. Darkness had already settled around them and the yard was quiet, no students to be seen anywhere. 

Getting out of the car they made their way to Farah’s office. Navigating the dark but familiar corridors gave them a sense of ease. They felt at home. 

Stepping through her office door Saul closed the door softly behind them before grabbing two tumblers and a decanter filled with scotch from her cabinet and made his way over to her couch. 

Pulling off her jacket and hanging it by the door Farah turned around and sat down at Sauls side watching him carefully fill their glasses with two fingers of the amber liquid before handing her one of the drinks. 

Leaning back in his seat Saul stretched out his legs in front of him a little in relief of finally being able to unwind for the first time today. 

Both of them deep in thought he let his mind wander. Just thinking about what today meant for them. How they would have to continue to fight for their students to stay safe. The unfairness of their situation. 

A movement of the woman next him had him look up to his left to see her pull off her heels before curling her legs beneath her. 

They sat like this for a little while. Sipping their drinks in quiet contemplation. Finishing his drink he put his glass on the table next to him before looking over at her again. 

She looked comfortable and soft like this. Her eyes half lidded, the tumbler sitting in a soft grasp in her lap. Her face almost slack with fatigue. Almost as if unburdened by the problems gnawing at her mind. 

She was tired he noted. She rarely ever looked this spent but today seemed to have taken a toll on her. On both of them he corrected himself feeling weariness creeping up to him all of the sudden. 

Reaching out toward her he took her almost empty glass, drained it in one quick gulp and placed it on the coffee table next to his own. 

Grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch he unfolded it and laid it across both their laps before he leaned back into his corner of the sofa. Laying his head back a little, fanning his arms out to the sides along the edges of the couch he relished in the fact that Farah always seemed to own the most comfortable pieces of furniture. 

A small rustle of material had his ears perk up but not open his eyes. Soft movement on the other end of the couch had his body rock slightly before he felt the warm body of his fairy sliding up to his side. She curled one arm behind his back and let her other hand rest in a loose fist on his chest. She laid her head to rest below his neck close to his collar bone and breathed out a soft sigh. 

Letting out a content sigh of his own he moved his right arm to grab on to her legs she had leaned up against his thigh. Pulling her a little closer by the back of her knees he made her unfurl her legs to rest over his. Her feet finding a small alcove of pillows on his other side. 

Settling the afghan more firmly around them he palmed her calves underneath the blanket softly. 

Feeling her fully relax next to him, her hand stroking his chest slightly he felt her breathing come out rhythmically before eventually evening out completely. 

Kissing her on the head softly he mumbled a quiet goodnight into her hair before he too settled in to fall into a dreamless sleep fuelled by exhaustion and today’s troubles. His last coherent thoughts being that they would be fine. 

That they would be alright as long as they had each other to cling to. 

And he would do everything in his power to never let go of her. 

For as long as he lived. 

_fin_

Please feel free to tell me what you think in the comments :-)


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